Phase 1: Rise of the Orphan Blade
Chapter 4: The Blade's Path
Part 4: Master and Strike
Kerisforge Stronghold had shaped me into a Kirin Blade, but its shadows were a fire I was learning to wield. I'm Rentap Buana, sixteen, bound to a vow from Blood Island, a keris that blazed with jade light, and a fight that had become my soul's rhythm. The ley line sabotage at Moonshadow Cove had weakened the Crimson Tide, but Taring Zenhmaut's chaos still pulsed, a tide that threatened the Nexus's heart. I want to share with you what it was like to uncover the shadow pulling the Tide's strings, to lead a strike that wasn't just about blades but about cutting the enemy's core, and to learn that being a Kirin Blade isn't just about strength—it's about facing the darkness within and standing tall for those who trust you. This is the part of my story where the shadows named their master, and I forged my place in the Nexus's light.
The sabotage had left us scarred but unbroken, Aisha and Rizwan's loyalty a fire that burned brighter, our Kirin Blade bond a shield against the cove's chaos. Taming Jiwa was my guide, its jade pulse deeper since the Starlit Kirin's trial, the coral orb, Lila's bead, the rune pouch, Suri's jade-edged dagger, and my rusted kerambit my ties to Jaya and Mira, my parents, whose legacy drove my vow. My scars—kirin's mark, shoulder, thigh, arm, side, and a fresh cut on my shoulder—ached faintly, the mantra Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim my anchor, Astra-Nusantara Silat forms—Storm Claw, Veil Tide, Iron Surge, Star Whisper, Sky Fang—flowing sharper, jade waves bright in the coral arena.
Kerisforge was a fortress of vigilance, novices training with fierce resolve, adepts patrolling coral halls, elders' staff taps a drumbeat of war. Master Zainah pushed us harder, Aisha's coral-etched keris weaving with grace, Rizwan's humming keris fierce, our spars a dance of trust forged in Starfall Hollow, the Coral Abyss, Black Coral Ridge, Moonshadow Cove. Kadir was our strength, his staff tapping coral, his eyes sharp with plans, while Suri's smirk was a blade, her daggers glinting with purpose. The Shadow Nexus Map, Idris's betrayal, Hafiz's ambush, the Starlit Kirin's rune, the Crimson Tide's ritual—they were steps in a war, and Taming Jiwa's pulse, Assyafiee's whisper, my mother's plea to find them, burned in my heart. I was a Kirin Blade, adept, but the Tide's shadow loomed, and the Nexus needed us to strike deeper.
It began in a coral cell beneath the stronghold, its walls etched with sealing runes, jade flames flickering, ley lines humming faintly. Kadir called us—me, Aisha, Rizwan, Suri—to interrogate the robed figure from Moonshadow Cove's ritual, their red-runed staff shattered, their Taring Zenhmaut sigil sealed by Kadir's mantras. They sat bound, their face still shadowed by a coral hood, their eyes sharp, cold, but flickering with something new—fear, or defiance.
Suri leaned against the wall, her daggers glinting, her smirk sharp. "Name the Tide's master," she said, her voice low. "Your ritual's broken, your nodes ash. Talk, or the Nexus buries you."
I gripped Taming Jiwa, its pulse syncing with the cell's hum, the coral orb glowing, the Starlit Kirin's rune burning in my mind, visions flickering—Assyafiee, kirins trapped in crimson waves, my parents' blades fading in chaos. "Who leads Taring Zenhmaut?" I demanded, my voice steady but raw, the mantra in my throat. "The Tide's not your plan. Who's behind it?"
The figure's gaze fixed on me, Taming Jiwa's jade light clashing with their sigil's red, anime-style malice flickering in their eyes. "Jaya's son," they hissed, their voice smooth, venomous. "You think you've won? The Crimson Tide is a spark. Its master is the flame—Zenhmaut's heir, Rahzeth, a blade beyond your light. He weaves the Tide from Moonshadow's heart, and Kerisforge will burn."
A chill hit me, Taming Jiwa flaring, visions shifting—Assyafiee, a shadowed figure with a red-runed keris, crimson waves drowning kirins, my parents' faces fading. "Rahzeth?" I said, my voice tight. "Where is he? What's his plan?"
Aisha's coral-etched keris glowed softly, her voice calm but sharp. "Speak, or your sigil breaks."
Rizwan's humming keris tightened in his grip, his grin fierce. "Name the place, or we're done playing."
Kadir's staff tapped, his mantra steadying the cell's ley lines, his eyes grim. "Rahzeth's a myth, a name from Zenhmaut's fall. Prove it, or you're lying."
The figure laughed, low, chilling, red runes flickering. "Rahzeth is no myth. He's in Moonshadow's Sanctum, a coral crypt where ley lines converge. The Tide's final ritual begins there, to twist the Nexus's heart. Strike, Kirin Blades, and meet your end."
Suri's daggers flashed, her smirk fading. "A crypt? That's a trap, Blood Island. Moonshadow's crawling with shadows."
I nodded, Taming Jiwa warm, the Kirin's rune pulsing, tying to the Shadow Nexus Map's red runes, Moonshadow Cove's heart a faint mark. "Trap or not, Rahzeth's real," I said, Aisha and Rizwan's trust a fire, Kadir's nod steady. The Tide's master had a name, and the Nexus needed us to face him.
Kadir sealed the figure's sigil, their laughter echoing as we left, Taming Jiwa's pulse fierce, the Kirin Blade's burden heavier. Rahzeth was a blade, cutting closer to Taring Zenhmaut's core, and I'd meet him, for my parents, for the Nexus.
The counterstrike was planned at dawn, the forge's heart glowing with jade flames, the Shadow Nexus Map spread, Moonshadow Cove's red rune pulsing. Elder Amira joined us, her starlit staff tapping, Zainah, Rahim, Laila, and a team of adepts at her side, their faces grim. "Rahzeth's name changes everything," Amira said, her voice sharp. "If he's Zenhmaut's heir, the Crimson Tide is his creation, a ritual to break the Nexus. Moonshadow's Sanctum is our target—strike the ritual, capture Rahzeth, end the Tide."
I gripped Taming Jiwa, its pulse a storm, the coral orb glowing, visions of Assyafiee and my parents urging me forward. "We'll lead," I said, my voice steady, Aisha and Rizwan nodding, Suri's smirk sharp, Kadir's pride clear. "The Kirin's rune will find him."
Zainah's armor glinted, her voice firm. "I'll lead the adepts, hit their defenses, draw their eyes. You five—Rentap, Aisha, Rizwan, Suri, Kadir—go for the Sanctum. The crypt's deep, guarded by wraiths, maybe worse."
Rahim's scarred arms crossed, his nod heavy. "Rahzeth's no novice. His keris will be chaos itself. Your Silat must be one."
Laila's coral staff pulsed, her silver hair glowing. "The Starlit Kirin's rune is your guide, Rentap. Trust it, trust Taming Jiwa. The Nexus needs you whole."
Amira's staff tapped, ley lines flaring. "Go with the Nexus's light. End the Tide, bring Rahzeth, return alive."
Preparation was swift, the day a blur of coral halls and jade-lit forges. Suri drilled us in Iron Surge, sharpening our strikes for the crypt's wraiths, jade waves heavy as coral, while Kadir taught us to sense Sanctum ley lines, Taming Jiwa's pulse syncing with their hum, the coral orb amplifying its glow. Aisha's Silat was precise, Rizwan's fierce, our forms a unit, like the Nexus Grounds. We packed light—Taming Jiwa, Suri's dagger, the kerambit, the rune pouch, Lila's bead, the coral orb—each a piece of my path. Zainah gave us coral disruptors, rune-etched shards to break the ritual, and warned, "Rahzeth's chaos will test you. Stay together."
We left at dusk, two war-boats cutting through the bay, their kirin sails dark under starlight, Kerisforge's spires fading into the sea's black. Kadir steered ours, Suri at the bow, her daggers glinting, Aisha and Rizwan at my side, their kerises ready. Zainah led the second, adepts silent, their jade armor glowing, ready to strike the cove's defenses. The sea was restless, ley lines pulsing with chaos, Taming Jiwa's jade pulse fierce, the Kirin's rune guiding me, visions of Assyafiee and my parents steadying my heart.
Moonshadow Cove loomed, its coral caves glowing with red runes, ley lines twisted, anime-style crimson flickers clashing with jade in the dark. The Sanctum was deep, the Kirin's rune pointing to a coral crypt, its chaos a heartbeat. Zainah's team struck first, jade waves bursting at the cove's entrance, drawing Taring Zenhmaut warriors, their red-runed kerises blazing, crimson waves clashing, a distraction to cover our path.
We slipped into the caves, Veil Tide cloaking us, Suri leading, herMm stealth flawless, Kadir's staff tapping for ley line shifts, Aisha's focus and Rizwan's eyes our guide. The crypt was vast, coral walls pulsing with Taring Zenhmaut's sigil, a crimson altar glowing, a figure standing before it—Rahzeth, his black coral armor etched with red runes, his keris blazing crimson, chaos incarnate, ley lines twisting around him, anime-style crimson waves flooding the chamber.
"Jaya's son," Rahzeth said, his voice cold, powerful, his eyes sharp, knowing. "Taming Jiwa's light is bold, but the Crimson Tide is my will. The Nexus falls tonight."
I drew Taming Jiwa, its jade waves bursting, Storm Claw steadying me, the mantra Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim in my soul. "You're Zenhmaut's heir," I said, my voice raw, the Kirin's rune guiding me. "Your Tide ends here, Rahzeth."
The Kirin's Counterstrike was fire, jade against crimson, coral walls cracking, ley lines trembling, anime-style waves clashing in bursts of light. Suri struck like a tempest, her daggers shattering wraiths guarding the crypt, Kadir's staff weaving mantras, jade waves a shield. Aisha wove Star Whisper, her coral-etched keris precise, Rizwan's Iron Surge fierce, their jade waves syncing with mine. I fought with Veil Tide, cloaking my steps, Sky Fang feinting, Iron Surge powering my strikes, jade waves breaking crimson, the altar's chaos roaring.
Rahzeth was a storm, his red-runed keris slashing, crimson waves heavy, twisting ley lines, stronger than Idris, wilder than Hafiz, a master of chaos. I countered with Star Whisper, the Kirin's rune guiding me, my jade wave clashing, coral splintering, blood mixing with dust, a new cut on my leg burning with chaos, my shoulder's scar aching. Aisha flanked him, her Silat fluid, Rizwan's strikes covering me, Suri's daggers relentless, Kadir's mantra steadying the crypt's pulse.
The wraiths were endless, their red runes overwhelming, the ritual's chaos eating at our jade, the ley lines twisting, threatening to break. I felt doubt, Idris's voice—The shadows are deeper—the pirate's blood, my parents' fall, but Taming Jiwa's pulse was fire, Assyafiee's soul, Aisha and Rizwan's trust, urging me on. I whispered the mantra, weaving Star Whisper with Iron Surge, my jade wave a spear, shattering Rahzeth's guard, Aisha disarming him, Rizwan breaking his stance, Suri's dagger at his throat.
"End the ritual," I said, Taming Jiwa blazing, jade waves bright, the Nexus's light in my strike. Rahzeth laughed, his red runes fading, his keris ash. "The Tide is eternal," he whispered, as Suri bound him, Kadir planting a disruptor, the altar's runes shattering, the crimson shard dimming, ley lines stabilizing.
I grabbed the shard, Taming Jiwa pulsing, its jade clashing with the chaos, Aisha and Rizwan panting, bloodied but standing, Suri's smirk sharp, Kadir's nod proud. "The Tide's heart is broken," he said, Rahzeth silent, the shard heavy in my hands. "We return, now."
The war-boat ride back was quiet, Rahzeth bound, the shard locked in coral, Aisha and Rizwan bruised but fierce, Suri's eyes scanning the sea, Kadir's face grim but proud, Zainah's team joining us, their adepts wounded but alive. I sat at the bow, Taming Jiwa in my lap, its pulse warm, the coral orb, bead, and rune pouch my anchors, the Kirin's rune still glowing, tied to the Tide's chaos. The counterstrike had struck deep—Rahzeth captured, the Crimson Tide's ritual shattered—but Taring Zenhmaut's shadow lingered, a war far from over.
Kerisforge loomed, its jade spires glowing, and I felt the fight—mine, Aisha's, Rizwan's, Suri's, Kadir's, the Clan's. The Tide's master was ours, the ritual broken, but the Nexus's light was fragile, and we'd guard it, with jade, with trust, with a vow that burned brighter than any shadow.
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